(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Team
USA returned to international action on Friday with a two dual
showdown with neighboring Mexico, April 13 and 15 in Harvey,
Ill. The United States won close victories in both contests,
pulling out one-bout victories over their neighbors to the south
in both events.
Friday night’s action featured nine bouts of action in a special
fundraising event at the Harvey Boxing Club. The U.S. women led
off the evening with victories over their Mexican foes as
flyweight Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) dominated Mexico’s
Mariana Caballero by a 29-9 margin while lightweight Queen
Underwood (Seattle, Wash.) won a slimmer 15-13 decision over
Reyna Cotjia of Mexico. In men’s action, home gym boxer Alex
Martin (Chicago, Ill.) won a tiebreaker over Mexico’s Oscar
Molina in welterweight competition. Molina is the twin brother
of 2008 U.S. light welterweight Olympian, Javier Molina. Light
welterweight Pedro Sosa (Bronx, N.Y.) and super heavyweight
Lenroy Thompson (Lenexa, Kansas) claimed the final two wins for
Team USA on the night.
In Sunday’s action, all 13 U.S. boxers took the ring at Thornton
High School and seven members of Team USA emerged victorious.
Once again, it was the female athletes kicking off the action
with Esparza taking her second victory of the event and
middleweight Tiffanie Hearn (Louisville, Ky.) winning a 21-13
decision over Mexico’s Alma Ibarra in her first bout of the
event.
Light flyweight Louie Byrd (Denver, Colo.) avenged his loss in
Friday’s action by defeating Mexico’s Francisco Melendez by a
27-13 margin. Both Sosa and Thompson earned their second
straight victories of the dual competition with wins over
Mexico’s Carlos Barrera and Juan Hiracheta respectively. In
other action, middleweight Luis Arias (Milwaukee, Wis.) won a
dominating 23-11 decision over Juan Mercado of Mexico while
heavyweight Joshua Temple (St. Louis, Mo.) defeated Mexico’s
Mario Heredia, 13-11 in the first bout of the event for both
boxers.
Charles Leverette (Colorado Springs, Colo.) of the United
States’ Army, Clara Savannah (Houston, Texas) and Mark Chears
(Chicago, Ill.) served as the U.S. coaches with Enrique Orci (Tuscson,
Ariz.) and Randy Richard (Lafayette, La.) working as the AIBA
officials, Rosemarie Trindle (Mercer, Pa.) serving as the
Computer Technician and Dr. Alicia Broeren (Milwaukee, Wis.)
joining the squad as the Team Physician.
Sunday’s USA vs. Mexico Dual Results
112 lbs/female: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas/USA dec. Silvia
Torres, MEX, 16-12
132 lbs/female: Erika Cruz, MEX, dec. Queen Underwood, Seattle,
Wash./USA, 21-13
165 lbs/female: Tiffanie Hearn, Louisville, Ky./USA dec. Alma
Ibarra, MEX, 16-7
108 lbs/male: Louie Byrd, Denver, Colo./USA dec. Francisco
Melendez, MEX, 27-13
114 lbs/male: Elias Abarca, MEX, dec. John Franklin, Fort
Carson, Colo./USA, 25-5
123 lbs/male: Oscar Valdez, MEX, won on retirement over
O’Shanique Foster, Orange, Texas/USA, RET-3
132 lbs/male: Angel Gutierrez, MEX, dec. Kenneth Sims, Chicago,
Ill./USA, 17-16
141 lbs/male: Pedro Sosa, Bronx, N.Y./USA dec. Carlos Barrera,
MEX, 10-5
152 lbs/male: Oscar Molina, MEX, dec. Alex Martin, Chicago,
Ill./USA, 12-8
165 lbs/male: Luis Arias, Milwaukee, Wis./USA dec. Juan Mercado,
MEX, 23-11
178 lbs/male: Armando Pina, MEX, dec. Caleb Plant, Ashland,
Tenn./USA, 17-4
201 lbs/male: Joshua Temple, St. Louis, Mo./USA dec. Mario
Heredia, MEX, 13-11
201+ lbs/male: Lenroy Thompson, St. Louis, Mo./USA dec. Juan
Hiracheta, MEX, 14-8
USA – 7
Mexico – 6
Friday’s USA vs. Mexico Dual Results
112 lbs/female: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas/USA, dec. Mariana
Caballero, MEX, 29-9
132 lbs/female: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash./USA, dec. Reyna
Cotija, MEX, 15-13
108 lbs/male: Francisco Melendez, MEX, dec. Louie Byrd, Denver,
Colo. /USA, 20-16
132 lbs/male: Angel Gutierrez, MEX, dec. Kenneth Simms, Chicago,
Ill. /USA 13-4
152 lbs/male: Alex Martin, Chicago, Ill./USA, dec. Oscar Molina,
MEX, 12-12 (31-25 total punch count) 178 lbs/male: Armando Pina,
MEX, dec. Caleb Plant, Ashland, Tenn. /USA, 20-6
141 lbs/male: Pedro Sosa, Bronx, N.Y. /USA, dec. Carlos Barrera,
MEX, 13-13 (30-29 total punch count)
201 lbs/male: Mario Heredia, MEX, dec. Joshua Temple, St. Louis,
Mo. /USA, 12-8
201+ lbs/male: Lenroy “Cam” Thompson, Lenexa, Kansas/USA, dec.
Juan Hiracheta, MEX, 13-7
USA – 5
Mexico – 4
